The conduct of a wawsuit is cawwed witigation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The pwaintiffs and defendants are cawwed witigants and de attorneys representing dem are cawwed witigators.[2] The term witigation may awso refer to a Criminaw procedure.

Ruwes of criminaw or civiw procedure govern de conduct of a wawsuit in de common wawadversariaw system of dispute resowution, uh-hah-hah-hah. Proceduraw ruwes are constrained and informed by separate statutory waws, case waws, and constitutionaw provisions dat define de rights of de parties to a wawsuit (see especiawwy due process), dough de ruwes generawwy refwect dis wegaw context on deir face. The detaiws of de procedure differ greatwy from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and often from court to court even widin de same jurisdiction, uh-hah-hah-hah. These ruwes of de particuwar procedures are very important for witigants to know, because de witigants are de ones who dictate de timing and progression of de wawsuit. Litigants are responsibwe to obtain de suited resuwt and de timing of reaching dis resuwt. Faiwure to compwy wif de proceduraw ruwes may resuwt in serious wimitations dat can affect de abiwity of one to present cwaims or defenses at any subseqwent triaw, or even promote de dismissaw of de wawsuit awtogeder.

Though de majority of wawsuits are settwed before ever reaching a state of triaw,[3] dey can stiww be very compwicated to witigate. This is particuwarwy true in federaw systems, where a federaw court may be appwying state waw (e.g. de Erie doctrine, for exampwe in de United States), or vice versa. It is awso possibwe for one state to appwy de waw of anoder in cases where additionawwy it may not be cwear which wevew (or wocation) of court actuawwy has jurisdiction over de cwaim or personaw jurisdiction over de defendant, or wheder de pwaintiff has standing to participate in a wawsuit. About 98 percent of civiw cases in de United States federaw courts are resowved widout a triaw. Domestic courts are awso often cawwed upon to appwy foreign waw, or to act upon foreign defendants, over whom dey may not even have de abiwity to even enforce a judgment if de defendant's assets are deoreticawwy outside deir reach.

Lawsuits can become additionawwy compwicated as more parties become invowved (see joinder). Widin a "singwe" wawsuit, dere can be any number of cwaims and defenses (aww based on numerous waws) between any number of pwaintiffs or defendants. Each of dese participants can bring any number of cross cwaims and countercwaims against each oder, and even bring additionaw parties into de suit on eider side after it progresses. In reawity however, courts typicawwy have some power to sever cwaims and parties into separate actions if it is more efficient to do so. A court can do dis if dere is not a sufficient overwap of factuaw issues between de various associates, separating de issues into different wawsuits.

The officiaw ruwing of a wawsuit can be somewhat misweading because post-ruwing outcomes are often not wisted on de internet. For exampwe, in de case of Wiwwiam J. Rawph Jr. v. Lind-Wawdock & Company[4] (September 1999), one wouwd assume dat Mr. Rawph wost de case when in fact, upon review of de evidence, it as found dat Mr. Rawph was correct in his assertion dat improper activity took pwace on de part of Lind-Wawdock, and Mr. Rawph settwed wif Lind-Wawdock.[5]

Cases such as dis iwwustrate de need for more comprehensive information dan mere internet searches when researching wegaw decisions. Whiwe onwine searches are appropriate for many wegaw situations, dey are not appropriate for aww.

A wawsuit begins when a compwaint or petition, known as a pweading,[6] is fiwed wif de court. A compwaint shouwd expwicitwy state dat one or more pwaintiffs seek(s) damages or eqwitabwe rewief from one or more stated defendants, and awso shouwd state de rewevant factuaw awwegations supporting de wegaw cwaims brought by de pwaintiff(s). As de initiaw pweading, a compwaint is de most important step in a civiw case because a compwaint sets de factuaw and wegaw foundation for de entirety of a case. Whiwe compwaints and oder pweadings may ordinariwy be amended by a motion wif de court, de compwaint sets de framework for de entire case and de cwaims dat wiww be asserted droughout de entire wawsuit.

It is wikewise important dat de "pwaintiff sewects de proper venue wif de proper jurisdiction to bring his wawsuit." The cwerk of a court signs or stamps de court seaw upon a summons or citation, which is den served by de pwaintiff upon de defendant, togeder wif a copy of de compwaint. This service notifies de defendants dat dey are being sued and dat dey are wimited in de amount of time of a repwy. The service provides a copy of de compwaint in order to notify de defendants of de nature of de cwaims. Once de defendants are served wif de summons and compwaint, dey are subject to a time wimit to fiwe an answer stating deir defenses to de pwaintiff's cwaims, which incwudes any chawwenges to de court's jurisdiction, and any countercwaims dey wish to assert against de pwaintiff.

In a handfuw of jurisdictions (notabwy, de U.S. state of New York) a wawsuit begins when one or more pwaintiffs properwy serve a summons and compwaint upon de defendant(s). In such jurisdictions, noding must be fiwed wif de court untiw a dispute devewops reqwiring actuaw judiciaw intervention, uh-hah-hah-hah.

If de defendant chooses to fiwe an answer widin de time permitted, de answer must address each of de pwaintiffs' awwegations. The defendant has dree choices to make, which incwude eider admitting to de awwegation, denying it, or pweading a wack of sufficient information to admit or deny de awwegation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Some jurisdictions, wike Cawifornia and Fworida, stiww audorize generaw deniaws of each and every awwegation in de compwaint. At de time de defendant fiwes an answer, de defendant awso raises aww "affirmative" defenses. The defendant may awso assert countercwaims for damages or eqwitabwe rewief against de pwaintiff. For exampwe, in de case of "compuwsory countercwaims," de defendant must assert some form of countercwaim or risk having de countercwaim barred in any subseqwent proceeding. In de case of making a countercwaim, de defendant is making a motion directed towards de pwaintiff cwaiming dat he/she was injured in some way or wouwd wike to sue de pwaintiff. The pwaintiff in dis exampwe wouwd den receive some amount of time to make a repwy to dis countercwaim. The defendant may awso fiwe a "dird party compwaint", which is de defendant's priviwege to join anoder party or parties in de action wif de bewief dat dose parties may be wiabwe for some or aww of de pwaintiff's cwaimed damages. An answer from de defendant in response to de cwaims made against him/her, can awso incwude additionaw facts or a so-cawwed "excuse" for de pwead. Fiwing an answer "joins de cause" and moves de case into de pre-triaw phase.

Instead of fiwing an answer widin de time specified in de summons, de defendant can choose to dispute de vawidity of de compwaint by fiwing a demurrer (in de handfuw of jurisdictions where dat is stiww awwowed) or one or more "pre-answer motions," such as a motion to dismiss. It is important dat de motion be fiwed widin de time period specified in de summons for an answer. If aww of de above motions are denied by de triaw court, and de defendant woses on aww appeaws from such deniaws (if dat option is avaiwabwe), and finawwy de defendant must fiwe an answer.

Usuawwy de pweadings are drafted by a wawyer, but in many courts persons can fiwe papers and represent demsewves, which is cawwed appearing pro se. Many courts have a pro se cwerk to assist peopwe widout wawyers.

A pretriaw discovery can be defined as "de formaw process of exchanging information between de parties about de witnesses and evidence dey’ww present at triaw" and awwows for de evidence of de triaw to be presented to de parties before de initiaw triaw begins.[7] The earwy stages of de wawsuit may invowve initiaw discwosures of evidence by each party and discovery, which is de structured exchange of evidence and statements between de parties. Discovery is meant to ewiminate surprises, cwarify what de wawsuit is about, and awso to make de parties decide if dey shouwd settwe or drop frivowous cwaims and/or defenses. At dis point de parties may awso engage in pretriaw motions to excwude or incwude particuwar wegaw or factuaw issues before triaw.

There is awso de abiwity of one to make an under oaf statement during de pretriaw, awso known as a deposition, uh-hah-hah-hah. The deposition can be used in de triaw or just in de pretriaw, but dis awwows for bof parties to be aware of de arguments or cwaims dat are going to be made by de oder party in de triaw. It is notabwe dat de depositions can be written or oraw.[8]

At de cwose of discovery, de parties may eider pick a jury and den have a triaw by jury or de case may proceed as a bench triaw. A bench triaw is onwy heard by de judge if de parties waive a jury triaw or if de right to a jury triaw is not guaranteed for deir particuwar cwaim (such as dose under eqwity in de U.S.) or for any wawsuits widin deir jurisdiction, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Usuawwy, wawsuits end in a settwement, wif an empiricaw anawysis finding dat wess dan 2% of cases end wif a triaw.[9] It is sometimes said dat 95% of cases end in settwement; few jurisdictions report settwements, but empiricaw anawysis suggests dat de settwement rate varies by type of wawsuit, wif torts settwing around 90% of de time and overaww civiw cases settwing 50% of de time; oder cases end due to defauwt judgment, wack of a vawid cwaim, and oder reasons.[9]

At triaw, each person presents witnesses and de evidence cowwected is recorded. After dis occurs, de judge or jury renders deir decision, uh-hah-hah-hah. Generawwy speaking, de pwaintiff has de burden of proof in making his cwaims, however, de defendant may have de burden of proof on oder issues, such as affirmative defenses. The attorneys are hewd responsibwe in devising a triaw strategy dat ensures dey meet de necessary ewements of deir case or (when de opposing party has de burden of proof) to ensure de opponent wiww not be abwe to meet his or her burden, uh-hah-hah-hah.

There are numerous motions dat eider party can fiwe droughout de wawsuit to terminate it "prematurewy"—before submission to de judge or jury for finaw consideration, uh-hah-hah-hah. These motions attempt to persuade de judge, drough wegaw argument and sometimes accompanying evidence, dat dere is no reasonabwe way dat de oder party couwd wegawwy win and derefore dere is no sense in continuing wif de triaw. Motions for summary judgment, for exampwe, can usuawwy be brought before, after, or during de actuaw presentation of de case. Motions can awso be brought after de cwose of a triaw to undo a jury verdict contrary to waw or against de weight of de evidence, or to convince de judge to change de decision or grant a new triaw.

Awso, at any time during dis process from de fiwing of de compwaint to de finaw judgment, de pwaintiff may widdraw de compwaint and end de whowe matter, or de defendant may agree to a settwement. If de case settwes, de parties might choose to enter into a stipuwated judgment wif de settwement agreement attached, or de pwaintiff may simpwy fiwe a vowuntary dismissaw, so dat de settwement agreement is never entered into de court record.

The decisions dat de jury makes are not put into effect untiw de judge makes a judgment, which is de approvaw to have dis triaw information be fiwed in pubwic records. In a civiw case, de judge is awwowed at dis time to make changes to de verdict dat de jury came up wif by eider adding on or reducing de punishment. In criminaw cases de situation is a wittwe different, because in dis case de judge does not have de audority to change de jury decision, uh-hah-hah-hah.

After a finaw decision has been made, eider party or bof may appeaw from de judgment if dey bewieve dere had been a proceduraw error made by de triaw court. It isn't necessariwy an automatic appeaw after every judgment has been made, however, if dere is a wegaw basis for de appeaw, den one has de right to do so. The prevaiwing party may appeaw, for exampwe, if dey wanted a warger award dan was granted. The appewwate court (which may be structured as an intermediate appewwate court) and/or a higher court den affirms de judgment, decwines to hear it (which effectivewy affirms it), reverses—or vacates and remands. This process wouwd den invowve sending de wawsuit back to de wower triaw court to address an unresowved issue, or possibwy reqwest for a whowe new triaw. Some wawsuits go up and down de appeaws wadder repeatedwy before finaw resowution, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The appeaw is a review for errors rader dan a new triaw, so de appewwate court wiww defer to de discretion of de originaw triaw court if an error is not cwear. The initiaw step in making an appeaw consists of de petitioner fiwing a notice of appeaw and den sending in a brief, a written document stating reason for appeaw, to de court. Decisions of de court can be made immediatewy after just reading de written brief, or dere can awso be oraw arguments made by bof parties invowved in de appeaw. The appewwate court den makes de decision about what errors were made when de waw was wooked at more cwosewy in de wower court. There were no errors made, de case wouwd den end, but if de decision was reversed, de appewwate court wouwd den send de case back down to de wower court wevew. There, a new triaw wiww be hewd and new information taken into account.

Some jurisdictions, notabwy de United States, but prevawent in many oder countries, prevent parties from rewitigating de facts on appeaw, due to a history of unscrupuwous wawyers dewiberatewy reserving such issues in order to ambush each oder in de appewwate courts (de "invited error" probwem). The idea is dat it is more efficient to force aww parties to fuwwy witigate aww rewevant issues of fact before de triaw court. Thus, a party who does not raise an issue of fact at de triaw court wevew generawwy cannot raise it on appeaw.

When de wawsuit is finawwy resowved, or de awwotted time to appeaw has expired, de matter is res judicata, meaning de pwaintiff may not bring anoder action based on de same cwaim again, uh-hah-hah-hah. In addition, oder parties who water attempt to re-witigate a matter awready ruwed on in a previous wawsuit wiww be estopped from doing so.

When a finaw judgment is entered, de pwaintiff is usuawwy barred under de doctrine of res judicata from rewitigating any of de issues, even under different wegaw deories. Judgments are typicawwy a monetary award. If de defendant faiws to pay, de court has various powers to seize any of de defendant's assets wocated widin its jurisdiction, such as:

If aww assets are wocated ewsewhere, de pwaintiff must fiwe anoder suit in de appropriate court to seek enforcement of de oder court's previous judgment. This can be a difficuwt task when crossing from a court in one state or nation to anoder, however, courts tend to grant each oder respect when dere is not a cwear wegaw ruwe to de contrary. A defendant who has no assets in any jurisdiction is said to be "judgment-proof."[10] The term is generawwy a cowwoqwiawism to describe an impecunious defendant.

Indigent judgment-proof defendants are no wonger imprisoned; debtor's prisons have been outwawed by statute, constitutionaw amendment, or internationaw human rights treaties in de vast majority of common waw jurisdictions.

During de 18f and 19f centuries, it was common for wawyers to speak of bringing an "action" at waw and a "suit" in eqwity. An exampwe of dat distinction survives today in de text of de Civiw Rights Act of 1871. The fusion of common waw and eqwity in Engwand in de Judicature Acts of 1873 and 1875 wed to de cowwapse of dat distinction, so it became possibwe to speak of a "wawsuit." In de United States, de Federaw Ruwes of Civiw Procedure (1938) abowished de distinction between actions at waw and suits in eqwity in federaw practice, in favor of a singwe form referred to as a "civiw action, uh-hah-hah-hah."

American terminowogy is swightwy different, in dat de term "cwaim" refers onwy to a particuwar count (or cause of action) in a wawsuit. Americans awso use "cwaim" to describe a demand fiwed wif an insurer or administrative agency. If de cwaim is denied, den de cwaimant (or powicyhowder or appwicant) fiwes a wawsuit wif de courts and water participates in de wawsuit.

In medievaw times, bof "action" and "suit" had de approximate meaning of some kind of wegaw proceeding, but an action terminated when a judgment was rendered, whiwe a suit awso incwuded de execution of de judgment.

Particuwarwy in de United States, pwaintiffs and defendants who wack financiaw resources for witigation or oder attorney's fees may be abwe to obtain wegaw financing. Legaw financing companies can provide a cash advance to witigants in return for a share of de uwtimate settwement or award. If de case uwtimatewy woses, de witigant does not have to pay any of de money funded back. Legaw financing is different from a typicaw bank woan in dat de wegaw financing company does not wook at credit history or empwoyment history. Litigants do not have to repay de cash advance wif mondwy payments, but do have to fiww out an appwication so dat de wegaw financing company can review de merits of de case.

Legaw financing can be a practicaw means for witigants to obtain financing whiwe dey wait for a monetary settwement or an award in deir personaw injury, workers' compensation, or civiw rights wawsuit. Often, pwaintiffs who were injured or forced to weave deir jobs stiww have mortgages, rent, medicaw expenses, or oder biwws to pay. Oder times, witigants may simpwy need money to pay for de costs of witigation and attorneys' fees, and for dis reason, many witigants turn to reputabwe wegaw financing companies to appwy for a cash advance to hewp pay for biwws.

Defendants, civiw rights organizations, pubwic interest organizations, and government pubwic officiaws can aww set up an account to pay for witigation costs and wegaw expenses. These wegaw defense funds can have warge membership counts where de members contribute to de fund. Unwike wegaw financing from wegaw financing companies, wegaw defense funds provide a separate account for witigation rader dan a one-time cash advancement, neverdewess, bof are used for purposes of financing witigation and wegaw costs.

There was a study conducted in de Supreme Court Economic Review dat shows why witigation financing can be practicaw and beneficiaw to de overaww court system and wawsuits widin de court. This study concwuded dat de new ruwes dat were set for witigation financing actuawwy did produce more settwements. Under conservative ruwes, dere tended to be fewer settwements, however under de owder ruwes dey tended to be warger on average.[11]

Legaw financing can become an issue in some cases, varying from case to case and person to person, uh-hah-hah-hah. It can be beneficiaw in many situations, however awso detrimentaw in oders.